Squads to check hill cutting, land filling in Goa

The government has decided to constitute and induct a flying squad for each district to respond to calls on illegal hill cutting and filling of low-lying land. Sources said each flying squad will be headed by a deputy collector and comprise officials from the police, town and country planning and survey departments.

This was decided at a meeting chaired by CM Digambar Kamat and attended by secretary (town and country planning) Raajiv Yaduvanshi, chief town planner Morad Ahmed and others.

The decision to constitute the flying squads comes in the wake of persistent complaints by citizens, and especially the Goa Bachao Abhiyan, that hill cutting and filling of low-lying land is done on Saturdays, Sundays and other holidays when no government authorities can be reached. Sources said the flying squads are the government's way of ensuring quick response to such complaints. The chief minister has already signed the order and it is now up to the district collectors to constitute the flying squads, sources said.

The government has decided to constitute a special committee having legal experts under the chairmanship of commissioner and secretary (TCP) to review the TCP Act, 1974 as amended from time to time.

Sources said the government also decided to release additional funds and appoint technical assistants for expeditious completion of the Regional Plan 2021. It was decided that the government would respond to advertisements that give a wrong picture of projects as and when brought to the notice of the government.